N.L. digging deep on ambulance payments
Minister says new legislation coming in wake of review
The president of the Paramedic Association of Newfoundland and Labrador described the information offered in a new report on provincial ambulance services as “shocking” and “very concerning.”
Rodney Gaudet spoke with reporters at Confederation Building as the provincial government released a report from Grant Thornton — from an audit of staffing records and payrolls at private and community ambulance operators.
The review found instances where money offered up by government did not make its way to frontline workers, despite requirements set into service contracts.
“It’s very concerning when the funds aren’t being used the way (they’re) supposed to be,” Gaudet said, adding his concern is also in how it all may have played out at an operational level, in the form of proper staffing, recruitment and burnout.
It’s something the provincial government is planning to investigate further. Financially, there will be targeted forensic audits, month-to-month monitoring of contract compliance and new contracts in the fall (notice had previously been given), but also new legislation that Health Minister John Haggie said is on the way for paramedic care in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“The new (contract) agreements will fully reflect the recommendations made by Grant Thornton,” Haggie said, noting that consultant will cover monthly monitoring for now.
The Office of the Comptroller General, under the Department of Finance, will undertake the additional auditing.
“Maintaining, the integrity of our road ambulance service is paramount. We want people in communities to know that they have a service they can rely on in the case of an emergency,” the minister added.
There are 61 ambulance operators in the province. Of those, according to the report, 13 are run by the regional health authorities, while another 48 are community-based or privately owned.
Grant Thornton specifically looked at 47 community and private operators over a threemonth period, to see if the block funding from government was ultimately going to proper staff salaries and staff numbers (Moore’s Ambulance Service was the only private operator not included, still being under an earlier contract that did not include demands for particular “full time equivalent” hours for staffing).
The consultant review found about 32 per cent (15 of the ambulance operations reviewed) did not pay the wages demanded in their service agreements (a $21.50 minimum wage).
And 77 per cent (36 operations) did not meet their contracted minimum staffing levels.
All in all, it suggested, only five ambulance operations out of 47 were meeting both demands: Cape St. George’s, Grand Bank, North Shore, Deer Lake and Russells. It means the province was apparently paying out money for staff that never materialized on the front lines.
A comparison of the money paid to operators versus money paid to their staff in July to September 2017 showed 26 different operators paid at least $5,000 less to their ambulance attendants than was provided to them by government.
Seven operators were found to have paid out at least $25,000 less than what was paid to them. At least one, over $50,000 less.
All in, the consultant found $548,565 in underpayments in the three-month period.
There was also inconsistency in some record keeping, considered in related recommendations for improvements in reporting.
“What we’re being told here today, there’s some concerns of whether the envelope for ambulance services was well spent in particular circumstances. Now there’s indication the minister is going to take direction to deal with it. There’s no way you cannot support that,” said Progressive Conservative critic Keith Hutchings, after hearing of the consultant’s findings.